Deadlift to Overhead Press
deadlift-to-overhead-press
Take care with
- avoid · Shoulder impingement — The overhead press requires full shoulder flexion under load. If this causes pain, switch to a deadlift to high pull or a deadlift to front rack position.
A compound movement that transitions from a conventional deadlift directly into an overhead press. The barbell travels from the floor to overhead in one continuous sequence, demanding full-body tension transfer and timing.
If you're new to this
You should be comfortable with a conventional deadlift and a standing overhead press separately before combining them. The transition point — where you move from the pull to the press — happens at the top of the deadlift with the bar at hip height. If you cannot deadlift 1.5x your bodyweight and overhead press 0.5x your bodyweight with good form, build those separately first.
Common mistakes
Using the legs to press instead of the shoulders — the press is a strict overhead press, not a push press. Letting the bar drift forward away from the body during the pull. Pressing before the deadlift is fully locked out — stand tall first, then press. Arching the lower back as the bar passes the knees — keep the core braced throughout.
Routine
- Sets
- 4
- Reps
- 3-5
- Rest
- 180s
- Tempo
- X-1-2-1
- RPE
- 7
Increase weight when you can complete all sets with the bar path close to the body and no lower back arching
Cues
Easier, harder, instead
Muscles
- Hamstrings
- Glutes
- Shoulders
- Lower back
- Triceps
- Upper back
Equipment
- Barbell
- 1
Set up for a conventional deadlift with the bar over mid-foot, feet hip-width apart. Grip the bar just outside your legs with hands shoulder-width apart.
- 2
Brace your core, flatten your back, and pull the slack out of the bar. Your lats should be engaged and your chest up.
- 3
Drive through your feet and stand up with the bar, keeping it close to your body. Extend your hips and knees fully until you are standing tall with the bar at hip height.
- 4
Without pausing, bend your elbows and press the bar overhead. The bar travels in a straight line close to your face. Lock out your elbows at the top with the bar directly over your head.
- 5
Lower the bar back to your shoulders with control, then lower it to the floor by reversing the deadlift pattern — hinge at the hips first, then bend your knees.